An Fear Beag

Am I missing something here? Would it not be cheaper and easier to buy them a house and chuck them half a million quid to live on, rather than spending £1.8m a head like this? I get that it is supposed to act as some sort of deterrent. But these are people who have travelled half way around the world in the back of a sealed-up truck, or sailed across the Channel on a dustbin lid. If the threat of suffocation or drowning hasn't deterred them, will the threat of a first-class ticket to Rwanda really do the trick?

Yeah I seriously considered going to that at the time, and eventually decided against it. When I see the Red Sox in person for the first time, I want it to be in a ballpark, preferably Fenway. Seeing a game in the London stadium just wouldn't be the same.

Never made it to Fenway, but it's number 1 on my bucket list. Fell in love with the game when I spent a summer in Woostah in the mid 90s, but I had to go home early to repeat college exams, so I never got to go. Had planned to catch a game when I went to Boston as part of honeymoon in 2003, but after 9/11 the other half got cold feet about flying to the US, so we ended up staying in Europe. Now I just have to wait until these parasitic kids leave home before I can afford to go!

Nah - I'm in Ireland. A completely plastic fan! I follow the Red Sox via the internet, which is a lot easier to do now than it was in 2004!

I'm guessing that's because he wasn't on the World Series roster. Even casual Red Sox fans remember the names of Dave Roberts and Doug Mientkiewicz because of their post-season heroics. However McCarty played in almost twice as many games as either of them that year. His contribution to the season as a whole shouldn't be dismissed.

He played in over half the regular season games for the 2004 team who broke the curse, as well as making three relief pitching appearances. A journeyman certainly, but the Red Sox fans I talk to remember him well.

And if it doesn't? Don't get me wrong. I see the attraction of the US and UK throwing their hands in the air and saying to Israel "well fuck you - you're on your own - do it your way." It would be my first instinct as well. However, if you do that, then you have to at least consider the possibility that Israel might actually lose. I doubt it would happen, given their military strength, but it is not an impossibility. What happens if Russia or China intervenes (indirectly) on the other side? What happens if other Arab states use Israel's weakened position as an opportunity to get involved and seriously threaten the very existence of the state of Israel? Do you really think that the US and UK are going to stand back and let that happen? Should they? In reality, they would still end up getting involved, but in a far worse situation than the one that currently exists. And if they didn't then intervene, what happens next? Do you think that Netanyahu is going to allow the destruction of Israel, without doing literally everything in his power to stop it, up to and including the use of nuclear weapons? I understand why you would prefer that the UK were not involved, other than to protect the people of Gaza. However, I think that is naive and unrealistic. I would prefer that the US and UK were in there at least trying to hold Israel and Iran at arms length, even if it seems like a forlorn hope at present. And to go back to my original point, I don't believe that Sunak's motivation is to have a "Falklands moment" and involve the UK in a war in the Middle East to boost support at home. I think that the motivation is more to try and prevent further escalation, however unlikely that might be.

I don't think it is that simple, to be honest. The US and UK are committed to the concept of a Jewish state in Israel, and it is not that easy to just walk away from that. Israel is considered to be an ally of both countries, and allies stick together, regardless of how crazy the current leader seems to be. Its a bit like watching your coked-up mate trying to start a fight with some local scumbags, who you know are just itching to stick a knife in him. Do you walk away and leave him to his fate, however gruesome that might end up being, or do you stick around trying to talk him down until the coke wears off, knowing that you are probably going to catch a few bottles to the side of the head in the process. Very tempting to do the former, but its not what mates do. Onw way or another, the US and UK are going to be involved. I suspect that they are aiming to stay involved at arms length as they currently are, shooting down drones and missiles and trying in vain to calm the situation down. Because if a situation arises where the existence of Israel is genuinely under threat, make no mistake that they will become far more heavily involved than they currently are, or than they would like to be.

I disagree with your assessment of Sunak's motives for getting involved. You are correct- this is not a vote winner. Getting involved in yet another unwinnable war in the Middle East would be deeply unpopular in the UK, as it would also be for Biden in the US. If you and I both know that, then you can be absolutely sure that Sunak and Biden know it too. The last thing they need during an election campaign is pictures of body-bags being taken off aircraft. The only ones who benefit from an escalation between Israel and Iran is Netanyahu and his hard-line cronies. That's why he has been goading Iran for the past few months (not that those mad bastards need much goading). Iran has now kindly given Netanyahu exactly what he needed to cling on to power while his credibility over Gala tumbles. I think the reason that the UK and US have got involved in shooting down Iranian drones and missiles is that they had very little other choice. What was the alternative? Allow the drones and missiles to strike Israel and give Netanyahu even more of an excuse to ramp things up? I may be completely wrong on this, but it seems like the US and UK are trying to dampen things down and prevent an all-out escalation, rather than getting involved in an unwinnable war themselves. I don't think for a minute that it will work. Netanyahu seems determined to dial things up to 11 regardless of the long term consequences, and the US and UK are in an almost impossible position of trying to both protect and dissuade their ally, who doesn't seem to be be paying them much attention.

Before anyone mentions it, I know Josip Manolic is a hit for a few players here. It will affect the top 10, but not change the leader, so I will wait a bit before another update.

Perhaps. Alternatively, it is an attempt to sell the game to people who either a. wouldn't normally be into word based games, or b. already own the standard game, but might buy the new board to play with kids etc. One persons "dumbed-down woke inclusive nonsense" is another persons "let's make our product sellable to as wide a customer base as possible"

So we are at the quarter mark, and the first quarter has seen plenty of action as racers jockey for position. Before we get to the business end, a few bits of housekeeping to be done. Oscar Quitak, a pick for @msc, is widely accepted by deadpoolers to have died on 31st December, although nothing resembling a QO has appeared. Ideally I would like something more solid before allowing in a sub. However I am going to invoke rule 5.1 which says that "picks are not accepted if it cannot be reasonably ascertained that they are actually alive". Quitak is out, former SDP founder Bill Rodgers is subbed in. Nigerian politician Rotimi Akeredolu definitely died on 27th December. He was a pick for @drolwho evidently has not been keeping an eye on his team. Ma Shitu is subbed in. A thorough search of all the names has picked up a few hits who were missed along the way. A gentle reminder again folks: it really helps if players do an occasional check on their own picks, as there are too many obscure names for me to look them all up regularly. January 11th - Yuri Solomin - picked by @drol January 16th - Laurie Johnson - picked by @msc February 6th Robert M. Young - picked by @Torva Messor These are the fallers since the last update: March 26th: Swami Smaranananda March 29th: Ma Shitu March 29th - Imogen Stuart April 2nd - Juan Vincent Perez April 2nd - Maryse Conde April 2nd - Veljko Bulajic April 2nd - Zhang Lixiong April 4th - Lynne Reid Banks @arghtonis absolutely nailing this one, racking up the early hits in the pool that rewards delayed gratification. As they mentioned in the post above, there were three more hits this time around as they race into an unsustainable lead. Even more unsustainable is @drol's second place, as 7 hits have also been racked up to get there. @gcreptilekeeps in touch in third place, but 6 down is not ideal. @Famous6Evagets their first hit of the game to rise off the bottom, where 8 players still linger on nul points. This is the full leaderboard, which also appears on page 1. There won't be an update for a while, as I psyche myself up to sort out who won last years Jokers pool. But please, please, please keep an eye on your picks, and let me know of any hits along the way Arghton (454 points) 7 hits [Abdul Taib Mahmud, Jaako Valtanen, Ma Shitu, Paul Vachon, Solihin GP, Swami Smaranananda, Zhang Lixiong] Drol (313 points) 7 hits [Jonnie Irwin, Ma Shitu, Mario Zagallo, Manohar Joshi, Toby Keith, Yuri Solomin, Zhang Lixiong] Gcreptile (290 points) 6 hits [Franz Beckenbauer, Jason Smith, Jonnie Irwin, Paul Vachon, Thomas Stafford, Zhang Lixiong] Captain Chorizo (277 points) 5 hits [Glynis Johns, Lynne Reid Banks, Paul Vachon, Philip De Gaulle, Roland Bertin] Yorkshire Banker (269 points) 2 hit [Laurent De Brunhoff, Lynne Reid Banks*] The RadGuy (251 points) 6 hits [Brian Barczyk, Charlie Bird, Franz Beckenbauer, Joe Shannon, Jonnie Irwin*, Toby Keith] An Fear Beag (190 points) 5 hits [Charlie Bird, Frank Kitson, Imogen Stuart, Jonnie Irwin, Mike Sadler] Toast (186 points) 4 hits [Dave Myers*, Glynis Johns, Jonnie Irwin, Toby Keith] Buffalo Phil (184 points) 3 hits [Iris Apfel, Jonnie Irwin, Juan Vincent Perez] GrimUpNorth (185 points) 5 hits [Dave Myers, Derek Draper, Jason Smith, Jonnie Irwin*, Toby Keith] Prophet (156 points) 3 hits [Jonnie Irwin, Malachy McCourt, Stan Bowles] Wormfarmer (132 points) 2 hits [Iris Apfel, Phillipe De Gaulle] John Key (131 points) 3 hits [Derek Draper, Joe Shannon, Jonnie Irwin] Death By Arsenic (130 points) 3 hits [Glynis Johns, Maryse Conde, Toby Keith] WEP (126 points) 3 hits [Charlie Bird, Jason Smith, Jonnie Irwin] The Immortal (123 points) 3 hits [Dries Van Agt, Toby Keith, Wilson Fittipaldi] Salmon Mousse (123 points) 4 hits [Dave Myers, Jason Smith, Jonnie Irwin, Roy Battersby] Torva Messor (113 points) 5 hits [Glynis Johns, Jack Burke Jr., Jonnie Irwin, Joyce Randolph*, Robert M. Young] Imelda (112 points) 4 hits [Charlie Bird, Derek Draper, Franz Beckenbauer Jonnie Irwin,] Hell (109 points) 4 hits [Charlie Bird, Derek Draper, Glynis Johns, Jonnie Irwin] MariNisia (98 points) 3 hits [Glynis Johns, Jack Burke Jr., Thomas Stafford] Captain Hemlock (96 points) 2 hits [John Okafor, Toby Keith] LizLemon (95 points) 3 hits [Glynis Johns, Iris Apfel, Jonnie Irwin] Funeralopolis (94 points) 3 hits [Dave Myers, Derek Draper, Jonnie Irwin] Famous4Eva (92 points) 1 hit [Veljko Bulajic] Ghost of Christmas Past (92 points) 2 hits [Iris Apfel, Jonnie Irwin] MalePoster (87 points) 2 hits [Chita Rivera, Nikolai Ryzhkov] CalebH (86 points) 2 hits [Dries Van Agt, Micheline Presle] Etushispushingupdaisies (81 points) 4 hits [Derek Draper*, Franz Beckenbauer, Jonnie Irwin, Toby Keith] Wannamaker (81 points) 5 hits [Brian Barczyk, Franz Beckenbauer, Glynis Johns, Roger Donlan, Toby Keith] Nantonian (80 points) 4 hits [Derek Draper, Jack Burke Jr., Mario Zagallo, Stan Bowles] Book (76 points) 3 hits [Iris Apfel, Joyce Randolph, Mario Zagallo] ZZZ - Boring Predictable Team (76 points) 4 hits [Franz Beckenbauer, Glynis Johns, Jonnie Irwin, Toby Keith] The Old Lady (75 points) 3 hits [Derek Draper*, Jonnie Irwin, Toby Keith] Dying Probably (72 points) 1 hit [Phillipe De Gaulle] Lady Fiona (67 points) 2 hits [Jonnie Irwin, Toby Keith] The Unknown Man (67 points) 2 hits [Jonnie Irwin, Toby Keith] Diego (63 points) 2 hits [Glynis Johns, Iris Apfel] GooseberryCrumble (63 points) 2 hits [John Savident, Joyce Randolph] Etib80 (63 points) 3 hits [Franz Beckenbauer, Glynis Johns*, Micheline Presle] Guy From Future (62 points) 1 hit [Eleanor Collins] Bibliogryphon (51 points) 1 hit [John Savident] DeathBecomesThem (38 points) 2 hits [Franz Beckenbauer, Jonnie Irwin] Sean (38 points) 2 hits [Franz Beckenbauer, Jonnie Irwin] Msc (37 points) 3 hits [Glynis Johns, Laurie Johnson, Norman Jewison] CharlesDeGaulle (35 points) 1 hit [Toby Keith] Zsa Zsa’s (35 points) 1 hit [Toby Keith] The Old Crem (35 points) 2 hits [Glynis Johns, Jonnie Irwin] TQR (35 points) 2 hits [Glynis Johns, Jonnie Irwin] Great Uncle Bulgaria (32 points) 1 hit [Jonnie Irwin] Willy Wonka422 (32 points) 1 hit [Jonnie Irwin] Time (29 points) 1 hit [Chita Rivera] WhoamI (15 points) 2 hits [Glynis Johns, Joyce Randolph] Thatcher (9 points) 1 hit [Roy Battersby] JoeMoneypenny (6 points) 1 hit [Franz Beckenbauer] YoungOne (6 points) 1 hit [Franz Beckenbauer] Pedro69 (3 points) 1 hits [Mike Sadler] Tracey (3 points) 1 hit [Glynis Johns] BabyBlue (0 points) 0 hits Chel (0 points) 0 hit Death Impends (0 points) 0 hits Shamalka Amarasekera (0 points) 0 hits Sod’s Law (0 points) 0 hits TheKillingTime (0 points) 0 hits ThereWillBeDeaths7 (0 points) 0 hits Yvonne (0 points) 0 hits

I am sure you can appreciate the difference between someone playing a fictional character (Juliet) and someone portraying a real life person like Mandela or King. In the latter case, we know what they looked like. In the former, they can look like anything you want them to look like.

As an aside, I like the Mail's idea that the National Trust "secretly" changing the scone recipe is "virtue-signalling". I would suggest that if you want to signal something, doing it secretly is probably not the best way to go about it.

Like Claire Danes, you mean? She doesn't look remotely Italian, and yet no-one batted an eyelid. Why is it that people will accept pale white actors/actresses playing characters that should have darker skin (Glenda Jackson, Helen Mirren and Judy Dench all played the Egyptian Cleopatra on stage, and no-one cared), but have trouble accepting black actors/actresses playing the same characters? And why are people obsessed that the actor/actress looks authentic? I have never seen an actress playing Juliet who sounded Italian (they all spoke English for a start!), and yet people suspended belief and accepted that they were Italian. So why is it so essential that they look a certain way? Except it isn't. It would be the very opposite of diversity, given the relative number of parts available to actors of different ethnic backgrounds. One big difference between The Jungle Book and Romeo and Juliet, is that while the jungle setting is essential to the story of the former, Italy is really not essential to the plot of Romeo and Juliet, in the same way that Denmark is not really essential to the plot of Hamlet. It is a play about star-crossed lovers, not about Verona. It could be set in Verona, Mississippi and the story would work just as well. So for the purpose of the play, it really does not matter what colour skin Romeo or Juliet have. Well, I'm guessing it's helping the actress who got to play the iconic role I will hold my hands up here and admit that I am not familiar with the version that you are referring to here - I have been speaking more generally. So if the director has come out and said that they gave the role to an actress purely because she black, then I will happily say that I disagree with that. However, more generally, I have an issue with people assuming that a role has been given to an actor/actress purely for the sake of diversity. Have you considered the possibility that he/she got the role because they are a bloody good actor/actress who deserved a shot at playing the part, despite peoples pre-conceived ideas of what the character should look like? How is giving good roles to good black actors/actresses patronising? Should we ban all non-white actors from doing Shakespeare (except Othello), because that is not how Shakespeare envisaged the characters 400 years ago?